Moleskine Said to Seek 350 Million Euros in Italian IPO

March 4 (Bloomberg) -- Moleskine, the Italian maker of
notebooks once favored by Ernest Hemingway, is seeking about 350
million euros ($455 million) in an initial public offering
announced today, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

The company is seeking a valuation of about 700 million
euros, said the people, who asked not to be named before the
sale is completed. Appunti Sarl and Pentavest Sarl are selling a
50 percent stake of the company in the IPO, according to a term
sheet obtained by Bloomberg News today.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., UBS AG and Mediobanca SpA are
managing the sale in Italy, along with BNP Paribas SA, the terms
showed. A price range will be announced by mid-March and the
deal will be completed toward the end of the month, according to
the terms.

Syntegra Capital, which owns about 68 percent of Moleskine,
will retain a significant share in the company after the IPO,
the company said last week. Appunti is indirectly controlled by
Syntegra and Pentavest is controlled by Index Ventures Growth I
(Jersey), according to a filing to the Italian market regulator
Consob.

A spokesman for Syntegra didn’t immediately respond to
requests for comment. A spokesman for Moleskine declined to
comment.